Exemplary embodiments of this invention generally relate to emergency power supplies for aeronautical applications, and more particularly, to an improved ram air turbine assembly for generating emergency power for an aircraft in flight.
Aircrafts include, as standard equipment, a back-up power source for use in times of power outage in the main power system. The back-up equipment is stowed in a stowage bay within the fuselage or wing root of the aircraft. One example of such back-up equipment is a ram air turbine (RAT). During an emergency event, such as power loss for example, the RAT can be deployed into the airstream where the passing air relative to the speed of the aircraft causes the turbine blades of the back-up equipment to rotate. A RAT may generate hydraulic power, electric power, or both. The turbine is coupled to suitable power generating equipment, such as a hydraulic pump for hydraulic power, or an electric generator for electric power, or both in the case of a hybrid RAT.
When the RAT is deployed during adverse ambient flight conditions, ice may form and accumulate on the RAT causing degraded component or system performance. In addition, loosened pieces of the accumulated ice pose a risk of becoming entrained in the air flow and causing further damage to any of the RAT components arranged in the downstream path of the flying ice fragments.